Justin Porter

You've set an aspirational target for anyone building a 250GTO with this build.

For Builders - That's fantastic that the Demon will get into the hands of a broad number of builders. I look forward to seeing what my fellow modelers do with the kit especially since it looks to be one of the best of the retro clones. For Me - Well... Thanks for nothing once again, Round 2. I thought $32.99 was your MSRP and $29.99 was MAP? Do you just NOT want us carrying your products if you're going to enforce a Minimum Advertised Price on us that prevents us from even accepting that maybe we just have to eat the scant margin it would take to cut ourselves to the BONE to compete at this? My cost on the Demons is $18.31, and I have been waiting patiently to be able to put MPC's hottest new kit on my shelves knowing just how eager builders are for it. Literally the only weapon you've left us in sales compared to Ollies, Hobby Lobby, and Walmart has been that window where we get new releases first. Now the new releases will hit the big boxes before locals can get their hands on the kit AND they'll be allowed to break the MAP policy enforced upon the rest of us? Really, REALLY makes me want to continue being a Round 2 retailer. Just gives me all the warm fuzzies.

Great line up without any clear scale bias too.

Some genuinely easy to appreciate builds. Lots of really great use of color.

Incredibly sharp and clean builds.

Great variety of builds and any year where you can wrap up an Accurate Miniatures build is a big accomplishment!

Really do like what you accomplished with that Lancia in particular!

Your subtle toning and texturing really makes for a great trademark. Great year!

Definitely a good year for you. The green Chevy pick up is so striking in being so humble in presentation.

Six builds this year and frankly I'm actually quite proud of all of them. I felt like my building turned a corner this year and I became more adventurous with my builds while still achieving the results I wanted.

They could purchase the raw 3D modeling files from Andy Lesiak for his kits, spend a few months working out sprue gates and injector pins, and deliver a 200% better kit than some POS annual from before the dawn of FM radio in half the time.

Iceman Collections has announced that their first full kit of 2024 is a 1970 Ford Maverick and have shown the built-up box art model in preparation of the release of this classic American compact.

Yep. These look to me to be a 300% better option.

More progress on my 250GT California. A bunch of AK Xtreme Metal paints went onto the wheels (Chrome) and the exhausts (Dark Aluminum and Stainless Steel) and the tires were painted with AK Real Color Rubber Black. I mocked up the chassis and body again with the back of the interior and I am super pleased with the way this is starting to come together.

That's really fantastic! I'll be excited to see how the eight-lugs look in this update.

I don't know if it will be blue or purple or white or what have you. You may see a Coke themed release or box art similar to the original annual kit as opposed to the street machine release. I will repeat what I stated in the opening post. "I tracked down two REPRESENTATIVE examples of the classic box art for these kits. I don't know whether or not the reissues will have this box art or similar."

Round 2 has apparently decided that what the world needs now is more malaise era reissues. To that end, according to Stevens International we can expect MPC #1003 1979 Chevy Nova and MPC #1004 1973 Mercury Cougar "The Cat" Street Machine as reissues for 2024. I tracked down two REPRESENTATIVE examples of the classic box art for these kits. I don't know whether or not the reissues will have this box art or similar.

Glad to welcome another Ohioan to the board. From Lorain, myself.

A small but fun update. I have got the front suspension together and have mocked up the California with the Jack Modeling 3D printed wire wheels and Dunlop tires. What an improvement over the kit stock parts!

I can at least tell you that the majority of the Accurate Miniatures aircraft tooling is with Academy who has kept several of the AM aircraft kits like the TBF Avenger and B-25 Mitchell in regular production.

I really am super happy the 500 is back. It's such a happy little kit and packs a good amount of detail into not a lot of styrene.

Right now, we have nothing but speculation for what the new Jo-Han intends to do. You feel that 3D resin would be too high a customer price point for reasonably detailed kits of niche subjects. I disagree because clearly the market exists otherwise we would not see the explosion of 3D printed resin kits ranging generally from $50 to $100. Iceman, for instance, is currently rolling out a Jeep Cherokee to an eager audience. Kits of this nature suit the more esoteric builders who seek them out. An perfect case study in niche market pricing is the MSRP on the Salvinos/WMMC tie-up that produced their excellent Tour-type modified kits. These are fantastic kits that have been strong sellers thanks to their detail and their commitment to serving a group of builders - specifically short track race car builders - that have been effectively ignored by the plastic kit manufacturers ever since the last time Revell took their World of Outlaws winged sprint car off the market. The last new pavement specific kit in that genre? The 1980's tooled Revell ASA Camaros and Thunderbirds! However, the trade-off for builders has been that the modifieds carry $40+ price tags, putting them more in line with premium race car kits like those from manufacturers like NuNu or Belkits than your classic department store shelf fodder. You keep coming back to "cloning" as if all that any builder wants is a chance to build Jo-han's PATHETIC old AMC kits again. As if the modern auto builder wants seats that are molded into the interior bucket, scale three inch holes in the side of the engine block, zero core support detail, chrome headlights, mile thick one-piece glass, molded in exhaust with solid tips, molded in license plates that announce the car's year of manufacture, and on down the list. Yes, Round 2 is currently - in most cases - eliminating these kit design travesties to the best of their ability but they exist in droves in Jo-han's tooling. Jo-han - for reasons that continue to escape me to this very day - apparently was a byword for quality in the 1960's. If they are to be a byword for quality in 2024, they cannot expect to do so with the obsolete wreckage of the past. I say if this new Jo-han is starting from scratch, then let's REALLY start from scratch and 3D printed resin is the fastest, least risky method to do so compared to tooling for styrene production.

If I were to have a realistic hope, it would be that this "new" Johan would simply concentrate on new-design 3D resin kits of subjects that would be known to be in classic Johan's wheelhouse. If we look at Javelins or Comets or Toronados along the lines of the Iceman Vector W8 or the USCP Citroen SM, granted with corresponding price tags, that would be a good way to bring the Johan name into the 21st century rather than attempting to be another Round 2.

It's really fun to see just how much this Monogram classic can be improved.

Just received two sets from Jason. One for my California and one ear-marked for my Fujimi 250GTO build. They 100% live up to expectations. Positively gorgeous wheels and tires.